Flying cars that existed in reality. Photo

Sci-Fi stories would be incomplete without the main attributes of the genre – laser weapons, robots and, of course, flying cars. The main difference between these miracle machines that on earth they feel as comfortable as in the air. These cars are no different from ordinary, except the ability to fly, if you press the right button. The 20th century brought us many innovations, and it is not surprising that there were attempts to create a flying car. Some of them were, indeed, brilliant inventions, and others – just a funny fantasy. Below you will find ten great examples of flying cars created from the beginning of the 20th century.

Avtoplan Curtis — the world’s first flying car, not counting the ones that existed in the pages of fiction. In 1917, the aviation engineer, Glenn Curtis created it out of an airplane of their own design and Ford model T Aircraft, which was based design, called the Test model L Triplane (three rows of wings) with an engine of one hundred horsepower (like a tractor). The two front wheels as the car turned with the steering wheel in the cockpit. To move the car on the ground and in the air was with the propeller mounted at the rear. Unfortunately, this “air limousine” never flew by all accounts the most that he managed a few short jumps. At the beginning of the First world war this car abandoned altogether.

Model 116 “Winged wheel” flew for the first time in 1946, and looked like a small plane, is welded to the car. In essence, it was. Wings, tail and propeller could be disconnected from the car, turning it into a land vehicle. Aircraft parts existed in the case of off-road. At 116 the model was only one prototype that performed 66 flights. A few years later, designer Ted Hall has recreated this car as the model 118, replacing the engine is 130 horsepower more powerful – 190, it gave the vehicle more possibilities in the air. The Convair company was planning to start mass production and start to produce 160 000 of these cars, but it never came to pass because of the disaster with a prototype in California. When the pilot pulled the machine into the air, he thought that the fuel tank is full. But this car had two of the device showing the level of fuel – one for car, one for the plane, and in that time, as the tank of the car really was full of fuel for the aircraft ended in the air. That is the danger of multitasking.

VZ -7 Curtis Wright is one of the first attempts of U.S. military forces to engage in the production of flying cars. Ideally, the VZ-7 was supposed to be something like a flying jeep. As a SUV, he had to allow the driver to overcome the hard terrain on earth, but with a little bonus – the ability to fly. It was developed by “Curtis-Wright”, which was formed after the merger of “Wright” (Wright brothers) and “Curtis Airplane” (Glenn Curtis). At the dawn of aviation Curtiss and the Wright brothers were fierce competitors. VZ – 7 was designed as a vehicle with vertical takeoff and landing. He flew with four vertical propellers placed behind the cockpit, which, in General, was a completely open space. For manoeuvres the pilot could change the speed of the individual propellers, tilt them forward, backward or to the side. However, this entire car was essentially a death trap, as the propellers have not been protected. Just two years after launch, in 1960, the army has banned this project.

When VZ-7 landed forever, the army turned to a completely different prototype: Piasecki VZ-8 AirGeep. Should take into account that by that time, helicopters have become popular, but the military forces were interested in something more simple than a helicopter, in order to reduce the training period. AirGeep went through seven different versions before it was finally declared unfit for military use, but they all kept the basic design: two large vertical propellers in the front and rear middle — seat pilot and three or four wheels for ground movement. The first model was flat, later models had curved up front and back, resembling the shape of the letter V. the Navy even tried to equip one of the models floats to use it in the water, but ultimately, this idea was abandoned, and the whole program too.

In 1971, the famous engineering company of California “Advanced Vehicle Engineers” decided to design a flying car that resembles the “Winged wheel” of the 1940s. They took a Pinto and welded to the roof light aircraft Cessna Skymaster. It turned out a bizarre hybrid that was called the AVE Mizar. Half of the phone, which was a machine, practically no different from an ordinary Ford Pinto driving on the streets. Engine from Ford dispersed the aircraft to the desired takeoff speed, then started to work the propellers. After landing, the brakes helped to slow down. Unfortunately, in 1973 – just a year before was to begin the mass production of cars – the right wing of one of the experimental samples fell off in the air. The machine crashed to the ground, taking all her possible future.

Speaking of the modern age, it’s amazing how we are still far from creating a real flying car. Here’s a good example: sky bike “the Butterfly”, which is slightly different from the legendary flying car of Jesse Dixon. As the embodiment of 40’s, a flying motorcycle is a SUV with one propeller and a rotating tail to adjust the direction of flight. Flying motorcycle was constructed in 2009 and today to drive it can anyone, who has the rights to driving of a motorcycle and pilot’s license. In length it is approx 2.1 metres, which allows it to fit almost any garage. Such girolami produces Butterfly Aircraft LLC and sells in kit form for Assembly, to gather which is quite possible at home. Maybe it’s a bit not what most people think, imagining flying car, but they are available to anyone who has an extra $ 40,000.

In 2009 Terrafugia made its first test flight. Since then he has experienced many renovations and upgrades, which resulted in several brand new designs and the second test flight in 2012. In any case, this flying machine offers something very futuristic. It has the shape of a plane with wings that fold up and take a vertical position, while the car is on the ground. On the track it can reach the speed of 110 km/h and 185 km/h, in the air. The only problem faced by the company in the course of designing is that the car was too heavy to meet the requirements of FAA (Federal aviation Agency) because of the devices for safety on the road (bumper, airbags, etc.). In 2010, the FAA allowed the designers to deviate from some rules that changed the classification of the vehicle and has facilitated a pilot’s license. Unfortunately, this car still costs more than a Lamborghini.

Dutch design PAL-V One makes the necessary style and huge changes in the traditional format Girolamo. Take an engine that automatically switches between the tires and the propeller, depending on whether or not there is contact with the ground. Particularly interesting is that it is designed to fly at an altitude of 1,200 meters, meaning you don’t have to file a flight plan to use them, and this is a huge hurdle for flying cars in our time. All this may eventually lead to a “digital corridors” running GPS and to the invisible highways in the sky that will allow air traffic to stay organized, as on a conventional highway.

AirMule is more like the side of an ambulance than by car, but the idea is the same. It was designed by the Israeli company “Urban Aeronautics”. The main purpose of this machine — assistance for search and rescue. It can develop the same speed as a normal helicopter, but it takes 2 times less airspace, therefore, it can penetrate into places that are inaccessible to helicopters. Perhaps you will say that this machine is similar to Airdrop who tried to create the us military in the 70s. But it has one major difference: it is controlled remotely. Do AirMule unmanned, this means that either it will save life or to destroy it. In any case, it will not necessarily be controlled by the autopilot. Urban Aero plans to use a remote pilot controls the flight in real time – a bit like the control plane in a sophisticated video game.

This flying car is practically a legend, and besides this picture and a brief mention of the vehicle in the newspaper Andalusia, Alabama, there is no evidence of its existence. The note says that the photo shows Jess Dixon, it was made somewhere around 1940. And while fans of aviation history consider this car a flying car, but it is closer to “driving helicopter”, the top two blades rotating in opposite directions. The car was powered by a small engine of 40 horsepower, and foot pedals operated the tail blade to rotate in the air. Presumably, the car developed a speed of 100 mph (160 km/h) and can fly forward, backward, turn and soar. Not bad for a flying car, which, in consequence, no one more will not hear.